Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

We've been working a lot on rhythm in the studio this spring.

I've always made an effort to incorporate a rhythm activity into each lesson, but I've found myself being more intentional about this in recent months and becoming more aware of how I teach rhythm and how students develop these skills.

In this episode, I'll share seven ways I'm practicing rhythm in the studio with students from 1st through 12th grade, including several teaching strategies, games, and challenges for those who need something a little more difficult.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Music Learning Theory Rhythm Content Learning Sequence

Rhythm Keeper (Musikal Husky)

An Interview with Samantha Steitz of Musikal Husky (Musician & Co.)

Piano Safari Sight-Reading Cards

Ep. 008 - 10 Creative Ways to Use Rhythm Pattern Cards in Your Teaching

Rhythm Pattern Card Set

Sight-Reading and Rhythm Every Day (Helen Marlais)

RCM Syllabi

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

"Do you know 'Brave' by Sara Bareilles?" I asked 10-year-old Anthony in a piano lesson one week.

"Yeah," he said.

"Well, I read recently that 'Brave' and [Katy Perry's] 'Roar' have a lot of things in common. What do you think?"

"Huh. I've never really thought about it!" he said.

We listened to both songs a few times and made a list of musical characteristics on the whiteboard. I let Anthony take the lead on what we were listening for—accompaniment style, key, tempo, vocal register, and contour—stepping in to guide the conversation, as needed. Anthony sat at a keyboard in the room, picking out parts of the melody or accompaniment as he listened.

Is this an example of formal or informal learning? Or, is it both?

The context was formal (we were in a school classroom having a private piano lesson) but the genre and learning style were informal (popular music and learning by ear). The learning was intentional (there was an end goal) but the ownership of the experience was something that we shared (we both contributed ideas—I didn't go into the lesson with my mind already made up).

That brings us to an interesting question to ask in our teaching: What makes learning formal or informal? And can it be both? How can we balance formal and informal learning in music education?

That's what we're going to talk about today.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

Ep. 042 - What Does It Mean to Be a Teacher-Facilitator?

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I was talking with one of my high school students a few weeks ago about music by women composers.

We were studying "Canoeing" by Amy Beach in the Celebration Series Level 7 Piano Repertoire book, the third piece in her Op. 119 collection, From Six to Twelve for Piano written in 1927.

We listened to a recording of the piece and played through the score. We discussed how the rippling eighth notes between the hands create a sense of paddling, left then right. We talked about Amy Beach's life, marriage, and musical career.

This is how the idea began for studying and learning music by women composers during the month of March, International Women's Month.

In this episode, I'll talk about the composers and scores we'll study over the next four weeks and share a resource list of elementary and intermediate piano music written by women composers that you can reference in your teaching.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Celebration Series Level 7 Piano Repertoire

From Six to Twelve for Piano, Op. 119 (Amy C. Beach)

Album des Enfants, Op. 123 (Cecile Chaminade)

6 petites pièces (Charlotte Sohy)

Ep. 047 - An Inside Look at My Lesson-Planning Process

Album des Enfants, Op. 126 (Cecile Chaminade)

Scenes Enfantines, Op. 92 (Mel. Bonis)

Canoeing, Op. 119, No. 3 (Amy Beach)

Portraits in Jazz (Valerie Capers)

25 Progressive Etudes (Louise Farrenc)

Little Gems for Piano (Paula Dreyer)

Interview with Paula Dreyer (Musician & Co.)

Up-Grade! (Pam Wedgwood)

The Old Boatman (Florence Price)

Gifts of Asia (arr. Emilie Lin)

Splattered with Fun! (Glenda Austin)

I'm Not Scared (Nancy Telfer)

Pictures and Beyond, Book 1 and Book 2 (Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee)

At the Piano (Katherine Hoover)

Piano Dreams (Anne Terzibaschitsch)

Cool Piano, Book 1 (Heather Hammond)

Jazz, Rags, and Blues, Book 1 + Christmas Jazz, Rags, and Blues (Martha Mier)

Enchanted World (Winnie the Pooh) (June Armstrong)

At the Lake (Elvina Truman Pearce)

Very Easy Little Peppers (Elissa Milne)

Higgledy Piggledy Jazz (Elena Cobb)

Ep. 045 - The Blues Composition Project

Impressions: Suite for Solo Piano (Jennifer Eklund)

The Best of Melody Bober, Book 2 (Melody Bober)

Victress Sessions (Andrea Dow)

A Collection of Florence Price's Piano Teaching Music Vol 1. Beginning Pieces (Florence Price)

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

It was 1997.

My piano teacher had just shown us a picture of Belle, Bonne, Sage, a rondeau about love written in the shape of a heart by 15th-century French composer, Baude Cordier.

This signaled the beginning of the annual studio-wide Valentine composition project.

Every year around this time, my piano teacher invited us to write our own piece of music, a "musical Valentine," as she called it. The idea was to not only write an original piece, but gift it to someone—maybe a grandparent, friend, or neighbor—and perform it for them.

We worked on these compositions for several weeks, usually starting right after Winter Break, making a little progress with each lesson so that we had a finished work to perform for someone by Valentine's Day.

This is a story about writing my first Valentine composition project, how I remember the creative process, and how I modified this project for my own studio all these years later.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

Belle, Bonne, Sage (Baude Cordier)

The Valentine Composition Project (free printable)

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What does the beginning of a New Year signify for you? What kind of season do you find yourself in these days?

I recognized recently that I am in a season of learning.

Of course, I am still actively teaching five days a week, but at the same time, I'm reflecting, jotting down stories and realizations at the end of the teaching day—things I'd like to do differently next time or things I didn't plan but observed or participated in that ended up teaching me something as well as my student.

I'm reading and incorporating a few new teaching approaches and testing them out in particular lessons. I'm studying new repertoire and brushing up on my music history to share with my intermediate students this semester. I'm also embracing being a beginner in something outside of music.

This season is marked by experimentation—that desire to try something new, play with it, and study the results. How does it work? How does it feel? What are the benefits and challenges? What will I do differently next time?

Here are four ways I'm embracing experimentation in my music teaching this season.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

A Piano Teacher's Legacy (Richard Chronister)

The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)

18 Books to Read This Year (2023 Book List)

Book List for Musicians (2023 Edition)

Art Shop

Blackwing Pencils

Ep. 051 - The Pokémon Piano Lesson

Rhythm Keeper, Vol. I (Musikal Husky, Steve Aho & Samantha Steitz)

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

As teachers, we spend so much of our time focusing on what our students are learning and discovering. Are they progressing? Are we challenging them enough? Too much? How have they grown in their musicianship this year? What should we focus on in the next few months?

Our students deserve this kind of reflection and planning to guide their learning and promote their continued skill development.

But what about us? Are we progressing? Are we challenged enough? Too much? How have we grown in our musicianship this year? What should we focus on in the next few months?

Taking time to reflect on our teaching practice is an important and necessary part of the teaching-and-learning equation. So today, I'm looking back on all the moments I documented on the podcast this year and sharing seven things I've learned as a music educator.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

The 8 Best Books I Read in 2022

Ep. 044 - What Do You See? The Power of Observation in Music Lessons

Piano Safari Repertoire 1

Ep. 051 - The Pokémon Piano Lesson

Ep. 047 - An Inside Look at My Lesson-Planning Process

The Post-It app for iPad

Ep. 043 - Rediscovering the Joy of Scavenger Hunts

Ep. 045 - The Blues Composition Project

Ep. 041 - Focus On the Music

18 Books to Read This Year (2022 Book List)

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol Dweck)

Ep. 049 - What Every Music Teacher Should Know About Mindsets: Insights Into Carol Dweck's Book

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Researchers suggest that twenty to thirty percent of teachers in America have moderately high to high levels of burnout (source). Maybe you know the feeling:

Tired, mentally and emotionally.
Distracted and uninspired.
Going through the motions.
Trouble making decisions.

These are warning signs.

Why does this happen? Why do we get burnt out and is there anything we can do about it? Today, I'm sharing five practical things you can do when you feel stressed or burnt out plus a few of my go-to resources.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Burnout: Unlocking the Stress Cycle (Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., Amelia Nagoski, D.M.A)

Overwhelmed? 8 Ways to Overcome It (Think Simple Now)

Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World (Emily P. Freeman)

How to Use Milanote As a Music Educator

FitOn app

Free Batching Worksheet

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about creative teaching strategies and being a creative teacher. But what does that really mean? What does it look like in practice?

In our world today, creative teaching seems to mean having an arsenal of note-naming worksheets, interactive Google Slide activities, and dice board games to reinforce every new skill or concept. Some of these tools are great and technology has certainly changed the way we teach and present new information, especially in the past few years.

The problem is the quality.

What are the educational goals or objectives of these games and activities? Are they musical (this is a big one for me)? Do they help the learner develop their musicianship skills? Do they provide the right amount of challenge?

These are questions I've been pondering in my own teaching this year and today, I'm sharing some of what I've been reading and learning about creative music teaching in practice.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Wunderkeys (Andrea Dow)

Teach Piano Today blog

A Piano Teacher’s Legacy (Richard Chronister)

Ep. 041 - Focus on the Music

Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity (Keith Sawyer)

Ep. 011 - Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

I have a new 1st-grade student this fall, a younger sibling of another student. Their temperaments and personalities could not be more different and I feel like I'm still learning how best to relate to the younger brother in lessons.

Aaron is very smart and artistic but also has a rebellious streak. Sometimes he'll come into his lesson and say he doesn't want to play the piano or he'll resist reviewing a concept or piece from the previous week and give me only a half-hearted attempt.

After one particularly challenging lesson, I made a plan to incorporate a few more fun activities the following week—movement, creativity prompts, and musical discovery. Little did I know that Aaron would bring all the creative inspiration we needed for a 30-minute lesson: a binder of Pokémon cards.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Piano Safari Friends

The School and Society (John Dewey)

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

It's back-to-school season, which means cups of hot tea in the mornings, new music to learn and explore, a new teaching schedule, and a few new organizational tools and strategies to test out, per usual.

Of course, there are certain parts of my routine that I enjoy coming back to—things I look forward to picking up again—but there are always a few things I’m ready to change or alter in my teaching or my business. You, too?

Today, I'm sharing an inside look at three big studio projects I worked on this summer—repertoire planning, technique organization, and an aural skills video library—and how I'm implementing them into my studio this fall.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Ep. 006 - Four Things I’m Doing Differently in My Studio

RCM Celebration Series, 6th Edition

Keybop, Vol. 2 (Jason Sifford)

Preludes in Patterns (Kevin Olsen)

Milanote - the tool for organizing creative projects

How I Use Milanote As a Music Educator

RCM Piano Syllabus (2022)

Ep. 047 - An Inside Look at My Lesson-Planning Process

Notability - note-taking app

How to Use Notability for Assignment Sheets in Your Studio

RCM Online Ear Training

Ep. 026 - My Favorite Aural Skills Games & Activities

My YouTube playlists for RCM ear training

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Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew